Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Do you know where your electrical energy comes from? How is energy captured from the wind? Find out with KidWind Renewable Energy Kits! Introduce students of all levels to renewable energy by exploring energy generation. Optimize your wind turbine by building prototypes and testing blade design.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Smith

This session will highlight strategies for supporting two key attributes of sensemaking: student ideas and science ideas. Presenters will share an NSTA tool for evaluating lessons, focusing on equitable instruction. In small groups, participants will experience hands-on strategies that promote student discourse and equitable access, such as chalk-talk, QFT, card sorts, and whiteboarding. These strategies will be grounded in classroom evidence from Physics, Chemistry, and Environmental Science, using examples of engineering design, data analysis, and models. The session includes dedicated time for reflection, allowing participants to connect these techniques to NSTA's sensemaking criteria and plan for implementation in their own teaching. Through small-group discussions and large-group share-outs, participants will personalize their learning and gain valuable insights from their peers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience and review student work from strategies that create equitable, sensemaking science environments. Focusing on science and student ideas, participants will identify strategies to implement in their own practice to improve sensemaking for all learners.

SPEAKERS:
Emilie Cross, Kevin Henson

This presentation will share a full kinematics PBL unit based on speed walking and highlight the key activities. The presentation will begin with an overview of the project and rationale for leveraging PBLs to engage students in science and engineering practices. The PBL begins with the anchoring question “How do you win a race?”. The presentation includes an overview of the scaffolded activities to get students comfortable with the software and sensors used to collect their own speed walking data. The PBL unit includes activities to support students to analyze their collected speed walking data. Finally, the presentation details the two peer review cycles students engage in to improve their presentation skills and to get feedback on their work. Throughout the presentation, attendees will be encouraged to ask questions in addition to reflecting on how this PBL unit could fit into their context.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain access to a complete kinematics PBL unit that can be adapted to their context, including a unit outline, activities, and assignments. Attendees will learn about the unit structure, how to implement the key activities, and consider how to modify the resources to meet their needs.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Estes

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Put Newton’s laws to the test in a hands-on crash safety investigation. Use Sensor Carts to collect velocity data and explore: How do seat belts save lives? How do we engineer safer vehicles? Leave with ready-to-use, 3D lessons that challenge students to model, analyze & mitigate forces of impact.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Smith

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Where does electrical energy come from? How does the energy transferred from a battery to a coil produce a magnetic field? We will investigate these questions using a dissectable generator, exploring how different variables affect the output voltage using sensor data. We'll also do investigate the reverse process to see how energy from an electrical source can be transferred to a magnetic field to do work. This engaging lesson is a great enhancement to physical science, physics, and OpenSciEd curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

Sponsoring Company: Pitsco Education

Ignite student curiosity with Take Flight: Drone Missions for Student Engagement- an exciting and relevant session that brings STEM learning to life through real-world drone applications. Explore how students can design, build, and pilot drones while tackling mission-based challenges that reinforce concepts in engineering and problem-solving. Participants will discover strategies for integrating drones into various learning environments, engaging learners of all levels, and fostering collaboration, critical thinking, and career-ready skills. Get ready to elevate engagement and see STEM from a whole new perspective!

SPEAKERS:
Oscar Rios

Discover the fun and fundamentals of STEM with this hands-on workshop on building balloon cars from recycled materials. This session is designed to inspire creativity and innovation using everyday items like plastic bottles, cardboard, and bottle caps. Participants will learn key engineering principles, including Newton's laws of motion, aerodynamics, and friction, through an engaging, project-based activity. This is more than just a craft project; it's a practical lesson in sustainable design and problem-solving. We will cover the entire design process, from brainstorming and material selection to construction and testing. You'll leave with a fully functional, self-propelled balloon car and a new perspective on upcycling. This workshop is perfect for educators, students, and anyone interested in making science accessible and exciting. Join us to transform trash into a thrilling race car!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to set up an engaging, hands-on lesson using simple recycled materials like plastic bottles and cardboard to teach core engineering and physics principles, foster creative problem-solving, and highlight the benefits of sustainable design in a fun, educational activity.

SPEAKERS:
Daniell Cossey

Various methods of using candy for mechanical testing will be introduced: • using chocolate for hardness testing; • mini candy bars with different fillings for a 3-point test; • soft candies for strength testing and to demonstrate a material under tension. By changing the testing parameters, the results of the test may also change (speed of the force applied, temperature of the candy, etc). These results will be compared with real-world testing samples and applications. Some amateur failure analysis of photos will be done and compared to the testing samples. Various uses of failure analysis and career opportunities will be shared. Students enjoy puzzles they can try to solve, things they can break, and things they might be able to eat. These lessons are always a hit as they combine all three, giving kids a chance to learn something fun that can then be immediately applied to solve a problem.

TAKEAWAYS:
Everyday words with technical definitions – hardness, strength, toughness, tension – make learning about mechanical properties confusing. Expensive testing equipment isn’t available, but candy is. Different candy is used for mechanical testing, with quantitative and qualitative results.

SPEAKERS:
Briana Richardson, Scott Spohler

Artificial intelligence is reshaping science education, which includes bringing new possibilities to labs by changing the way students gather and analyze experimental data. In this immersive workshop, participants step into the role of students, using their smartphones to gather real-world data from simple hands-on experiments. Together, we will explore how AI-powered tools can make complex analysis accessible, deepen conceptual understanding, and spark student curiosity across STEM disciplines. The session highlights strategies to integrate AI into labs in ways that enhance—not replace—critical thinking, while giving teachers classroom-ready examples they can adapt immediately. Whether you teach physics, life sciences, or any STEM related course, this workshop offers a glimpse of the future of inquiry-based science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will expand their understanding and increase their confidence working with AI tools to support student learning. This will include concrete examples that teachers can use in their own classrooms to help students recognize the power of AI in their learning journey.

SPEAKERS:
Helene McLaughlin, David Rakestraw

The new Not Your Average Crash Test Dummy math/crash science lesson set is part of the IIHS’s free Crash Science in the Classroom program. These lessons explore the science behind crash test dummy development and crash test design while also teaching about statistical measures of central tendency and the concept of percentile. Using videos from the Deep Dive with Dummies series and ready to use activity sheets, students learn about the essential role of crash test dummies as scientific research instruments while also exploring how researchers use dummies to improve vehicle safety and reduce the risk of injury and death. They also analyze real-world crash test dummy data and collect and analyze their own similar data to determine mean, median, and mode and learn how to calculate percentiles in a data set. This interdisciplinary real-world example of how crash test dummy research is conducted illustrates the essential role of statistical analysis in data-driven research.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use the free Deep Dive with Dummies video series and accompanying science and math/statistics lessons to learn about crash test dummies and how they are used in crash tests while also conducting statistical analyses of real-world data related to crash test dummies.

SPEAKERS:
Pini Kalnite, Griff Jones, Linda Jones

Are you wanting to learn some fun and engaging physics activities in-line with the NGSS Standards? This session will give you a lesson to bring back to school and use or share with your colleagues. In our session we will be looking at balanced and unbalanced forces, calculating speed and motion graphs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience physics fun for 6-8 Science as they apply to the NGSS MS-PS3-1 standards. We will use hot wheels to collect data to calculate speed and create motion graphs using hands-on technology.

SPEAKERS:
Becky Walker, Amy Rush

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

How can students predict motion from forces? Using a trampoline jump as an anchoring phenomenon, we’ll investigate Newton’s 2nd law with the Go Direct Motion Detector, collecting real-time velocity & acceleration data in a ball-toss experiment. Walk away with a ready-to-use, 3D-aligned experiment.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Smith

We show how instructional materials can be adapted for local contexts—and how to elevate issues of climate justice and ethical responses to the climate crisis. Participants will learn about how a high school physics unit from OpenSciEd about reliable energy sources was adapted to attend to Indigenous land rights and sovereignty.

TAKEAWAYS:
Related to STEM projects in society (e.g., energy transition, ecological restoration), teachers will learn how to engage students in exploring moral and ethical dimensions of trade-offs in project approaches. A broadly applicable framework for equity-focused curriculum adaptation will be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Kelsie Fowler, Philip Bell

Complete a fun, distracted driving hands-on activity and discover award-winning videos and more inquiry-based activities from IIHS’s free Crash Science in the Classroom program. This lesson integrates timely, real-world phenomena — e.g., car crashes, crash-avoidance technologies, and other teen driving issues—so students can see science, engineering, and technology’s influence on society (a NGSS Crosscutting Concept). The scaffolded lesson and website design ensures accessibility and promotes equitable classroom practices through multimodal strategies: high-interest videos, guiding questions, formative assessments, exciting demos, English/Spanish captions, and virtual 3D 360° tours. This lesson offers teachers a high-interest, high-impact way to integrate core STEM concepts and practices, crash science research, and real-world relevance into their classrooms while equipping students with knowledge that could save lives.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants measure their reaction time and complete a distracted driving simulation using a series of 4 activities simulating the 4 major types of driving distractions. Participants will also learn how to access lesson plans, assessments, teacher tips videos, student lab sheets and answer keys.

SPEAKERS:
Pini Kalnite, Griff Jones

Using the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer 2010, attendees will integrate the story with the concepts of energy and basic circuits (PS3.A: DEFINITIONS OF ENERGY). This literary piece focuses on one young man’s quest to build a wind mill to pump water, light two small light bulbs, and power the family’s radio. Attendees will utilize small windmills to convert the mechanical energy of the windmill to light a small light bulb and lift a small mass.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will receive a 5 E learning cycle, linked to English standards, Common Core Math Standards and NGSS as well as the instructions for 3 D printing a Simple Windmill, wires a bulb holder and small bulb.

SPEAKERS:
Jan Mader, Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

How are the bodies of cars designed to make collisions safer? What materials best reduce the peak forces in a collision? In this workshop, we will design crash cushions and crumple zones, and test them using live sensor data. We will use the sensor data to explore the relationship between momentum and peak force. This engaging lesson is a great enhancement to middle school physical science, physics, and OpenSciEd curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

Are you looking for an assessment that fosters collaboration, combats cheating, and connects content to the physical world? Discover the power of group exams. This workshop shares practical strategies for implementing physics group exams at all levels, from College-Prep to AP. We will cover the pedagogical research and personal classroom experiences, focusing on how these exams encourage students to apply their knowledge to solve tangible problems that align with the NGSS. Participants will engage in a sample group exam to experience the challenge and excitement firsthand. Participants will also gain strategies in using AI to efficiently design complex, three-dimensional tasks.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain a framework for creating authentic group assessments that challenge students to apply scientific principles to solve real-world problems in a high-stakes, low-stress environment.

SPEAKERS:
Justin Fournier

Rubin Observatory is a major public US observatory funded by the NSF and the DOE. Educational materials are freely available to all under a Creative Commons license. “Exploding Stars” is an interactive, classroom-ready, online lesson that uses real data. Designed to support the NGSS, it includes an investigative phenomenon, teacher guide, presentation slides, videos, and a variety of three-dimensional assessments and scoring guides. The investigation encourages student sensemaking as they progress from their initial ideas by integrating science practices and ideas such as analyzing data and using models and mathematical relationships to discover how supernovae can be used to measure distances in space. During the workshop we will explore the phenomenon and investigation, role-playing both teacher and student perspectives. Active learning strategies for formative and summative assessment will include think-pair-share, using a Driving Question Board, and whiteboarding.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to implement the Exploding Stars investigation and phenomenon designed to support sensemaking and 3D learning, and explore formative and summative assessment strategies that support inclusive techniques for building student data literacy skills.

SPEAKERS:
Ardis Herrold

Teachers seek ways to make learning more meaningful, relevant, and rigorous. We will share a practice-based approach that supports teachers in leveraging students’ cultural resources, such as community knowledge, lived experiences, and local practices, to deepen understanding of the three dimensions of scientific knowledge: disciplinary ideas (DCIs), scientific practices (SEPs) and crosscutting concepts (CCCs). Using classroom-tested frameworks and examples from diverse settings, participants explore how integrating cultural resources serve as powerful vehicles to promote sensemaking and engagement. Teachers will engage with anchoring phenomena, student artifacts, and instructional routines to experience how to weave cultural resources into the three-dimensional design of a unit. Teachers will leave with tools, planning templates, and concrete strategies for implementing instruction that honors students’ identities and enhances mastery of the three dimensions of scientific knowledge.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to adapt lessons so that students’ cultural and community knowledge becomes an asset for driving investigations, constructing explanations, and developing disciplinary understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Clausell Mathis, Joseph Krajcik

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Why does the fuse blow when I use a hair dryer? Why does my device battery get hot? Let’s investigate real-world questions on electricity with hands-on voltage and current sensors! Get tips for engaging physics students in Ohm’s law and simple circuits using real-time data analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Josh Ence

Sponsoring Company: Elenco Electronics, LLC

This session introduces educators to Snap Circuits as a hands-on way to teach foundational electronics concepts. Designed for classroom and STEM center environments, this session emphasizes short, guided builds that lead to quick wins and high engagement. Educators will learn how to introduce concepts like power, current flow, inputs, and outputs through play-based exploration and structured challenges that foster curiosity and problem-solving.

Following the California 3-Course Integrated Model AND the NGSS Modified Science Domains High School Curricular Model, this storyline for the formation and history of the La Brea tar pits provides an excellent opportunity for place-based sensemaking of a local phenomenon that integrates Earth Science with Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The storylines involves the development of Los Angeles as a sedimentary basin starting 28 million years ago, when the birth of the San Andreas fault tore off and rotated the Transverse Mountains; the development of petroleum in the rock beneath LA; the percolation of petroleum to the surface starting at least 55,000 years ago after the 6th-street fault cut across the sub-LA Puente rock formation; and the evolution and extinction of large mammals like the ground sloths, mastodons, and smilodons with changing climates and the arrival of humans in Southern California. Students can visit the site and see the ongoing excavations as a capstone experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
The La Brea tar pits provides teachers with a way to engage students with a local place-based storyline that helps in their sensemaking for integrating LA’s history in geophysics (earthquakes), geochemistry (petroleum production), geobiology (large mammal evolution), and climate change.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Wysession

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

Challenge and inspire your middle school students using the OpenSciEd curriculum. Perform hands-on experiments in Chemistry and Physics through problem-based learning activities from a 3D framework. Get a taste of Ward's Science kits that complement this free program.

SPEAKERS:
Norman Marshall

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

From friction to collisions, engage students in real-world motion phenomena! Investigate questions like “How do brakes stop a bicycle?” or “Why are seat belts crucial to car safety?” We’ll explore sensor carts in action, analyze velocity and acceleration data, and share hands-on investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Josh Ence

In this session, we share how authentic STEM projects, curriculum design, and classroom climate work together to help students embrace uncertainty, analyze their own thinking, and build resilience. Participants will explore three cornerstone projects from an 8th-grade curriculum (Rocketry, Soldering, and Amusement Park Design) and consider how each one creates different opportunities for students to test ideas, confront misconceptions, and experience the scientific and engineering process in action. The presenters will connect these experiences to the research-based concept of error climate, the classroom culture around how mistakes are handled, showing how error tolerance, curiosity, and precision can coexist in rigorous STEM learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM learning is about building the conditions where intellectual risk feels safe, and accuracy becomes a shared pursuit rather than a source of shame. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use assessments, prompts, and design strategies to create classrooms that cultivate both rigor and resilience.

SPEAKERS:
Abbie Cornelius, Hannah Bundrick

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

Discover high-impact demonstrations that make physical science come alive. This hands-on session covers key topics like force, motion, waves, and energy, all tied to NGSS performance expectations. Includes take-home resources to use right away.

SPEAKERS:
Jonnathan Medina Ramos, Ph.D.

“Stellar Safari” is a free classroom-ready lesson. Designed to support the NGSS, it includes a phenomenon, teacher guide, and three-dimensional formative and summative assessments. The workshop begins with a data-based phenomenon activity, in which participants will engage in sensemaking as they wonder what causes differences in stars, such as brightness and temperature. During the investigation, students compare data of main sequence stars like the Sun to discover how stellar properties are related and are the result of a star’s mass and fusion rate. Finally, they experiment with stellar models used by astronomers to determine star distances and age. During the workshop we role-play both teacher and student perspectives. Active learning strategies for formative and summative assessment will include think-pair-share, using a Driving Question Board, and whiteboarding. Rubin Observatory is a major public US observatory. All educational materials and services are freely available to all.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to implement the Stellar Safari online investigation and phenomenon designed to support sensemaking and 3D learning, and explore formative and summative assessment strategies that support inclusive techniques for building student data literacy skills.

SPEAKERS:
Ardis Herrold

In this workshop, participants will learn about the science of sound, waves, and vibrations, and how they relate to music. For this, we will use a series of physical hands-on activities and interactive web applications created by our team at https://listeningtowaves.com/. The applications allow users to visualize, create, and play with sound; they have an associated NGSS-aligned curriculum developed in collaboration with the San Diego Science Project at UC San Diego, and are being widely used in California and throughout the world. Children and teachers love them. The curriculum is focused on 8th grade but it can be easily adapted to other age groups. The workshop will be led by Victor Minces, a neuroscientist of music, sound artist, and program creator. For a brief overview of the applications and program, see https://youtu.be/pvsie4P7G0E

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn how to use everyday objects and free digital tools to explore the science of sound and music. You will create beats and sound compositions, and tune an orchestra made with beakers and water as an anchoring phenomenon to bring to your students.

SPEAKERS:
Alec Barron

This session will demonstrate a hands-on lesson with extensions that focuses on using science and engineering practices for designing devices to convert energy. Participants will construct and test batteries using various solutions and metals to solve energy storage problems for NGSS Standards (HS-PS3-3, and HS-PS3-4), in addition to enhancing their understanding of electricity, circuit building and chemical reactions in practical application. The Engineering design process will be integrated to make this activity a must in real-world application!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies for teaching students to design and optimize devices that convert energy forms—emphasizing chemical potential energy—and to develop evidence-based solutions to real-world and societal energy challenges, considering criteria, constraints, and impacts.

SPEAKERS:
Britt Rohde, Jacey Hart, April Thompson

Looking for an engaging way to teach the types of waves and their characteristics? This interactive session will equip you with hands-on investigations, simulations, and tech-based tools to compare amplitude, frequency, and wavelength in transverse and longitudinal waves, including the electromagnetic spectrum. You’ll receive ready-to-use activities and adaptable content to fit your specific grade level. Come ready to learn, participate, and walk away with practical, classroom-ready strategies to excite your students!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience physics fun for 6-8 Science as they apply to the NGSS standards. Participants will use slinkies to visually view the components of waves, as well as use hands-on technology to see a graphical model of the types of waves.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Rush, Becky Walker

Electromagnetic fields might be invisible, but the juicy nuggets in this unit are easy to find. This session helps you uncover key features in Mission Maglev that make it easier to plan, teach, and guide students through puzzling ideas like magnetic forces, electric forces, and contactless motion. We will walk through the built-in teacher tools, prompts, and routines that support deep thinking and epic classroom moments. Whether students are experimenting with levitating cardboard or wondering how a 700,000-pound train floats through the air, you will leave with ready-to-use moves that help the learning stick.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to use built-in supports in Mission Maglev to guide students through electric and magnetic forces while making sense of how a train can float and move without touching anything.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli, Spencer Martin

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

For students new to describing motion, graphs of position and velocity can be difficult to interpret. In this hands-on workshop, learn how to use sensors to help students understand the distinction between positive and negative position and velocity in motion graphs. We'll start with an engaging graph matching activity and then use software tools to easily analyze and interpret the graphs.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

The workshop will utilize literature to teach physical science and physics concepts in a cross-curricular approach. Many students often feel that their courses are isolated and not connected to any other class. Participants in this workshop will use a well-known literature piece, The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 1943 to investigate science concepts particularly those of physics and physical science. Other literary pieces and associated lessons will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will receive instruction that will allow them to select a literary piece and integrate that piece into a science lesson. Attendees will receive a list of literary pieces linked to physics and physical science concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Jan Mader, Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

What makes an electromagnet stronger? In this middle school workshop, build and test electromagnets as you investigate how wire wraps and current impact field strength. Use Vernier Connections to capture real-time data and support 3D sensemaking from predictions to evidence-based reasoning.

SPEAKERS:
Josh Ence

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

Explore Flinn’s new line of AP Physics labs, fully aligned to the latest College Board Course and Exam Description and watch your students refine key lab skills. This session features hands-on demonstrations of inquiry-based activities, digital integration, and classroom-ready resources to support student success. Handouts included.

SPEAKERS:
Jonnathan Medina Ramos, Ph.D.

Physics continues to lag behind other sciences in student enrollment, with persistent underrepresentation of women and other marginalized groups. Yet there are ways teachers can help disrupt and change this trend by applying practical, evidence-based strategies in the classroom. This session introduces the STEP UP curriculum—research-based lessons designed to shift classroom culture and inspire students to pursue physics. Participants will engage with two cornerstone lessons: Careers in Physics, which showcases diverse and rewarding career paths with a physics degree, and Women in Physics, which addresses the roots of gender bias while equipping teachers with strategies to counter it. Through interactive activities, attendees will experience the lessons from a student perspective, then reflect on practical approaches for classroom integration. All STEP UP resources are freely available, teacher-friendly, and developed by the American Physical Society in collaboration with educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with ready-to-use strategies for STEP UP’s evidence-based lessons, full access to digital resources, and a supportive national teacher network to help you make your physics classroom more welcoming and inclusive, and encourage more students to consider taking physics courses.

SPEAKERS:
Pooja Gupta

How can a single strand of hair unlock the physics of light? In this interactive STEM session, participants will step into the role of their students as they use a simple laser pointer and everyday materials to measure the thickness of their own hair. Using the principle of light interference, attendees will explore how waves overlap to create patterns that reveal hidden dimensions at the microscopic scale. Adaptable across grade levels, this 45-minute activity seamlessly integrates NGSS and CCSS math standards, helping students connect measurement, graphing, and scientific reasoning. Educators will leave with a ready to use lesson, clear step by step instructions, all materials needed to recreate the demonstration, and strategies for engaging learners in inquiry based science that blends curiosity, math, and the science of light.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to engage students in exploring light interference by using a simple laser activity to measure the thickness of hair, connecting real world inquiry to NGSS and math standards through hands-on, inquiry-based STEM learning.

SPEAKERS:
Natalie Woods, Phillip Cook

Bring the Sun into your classroom with this interactive session featuring NASA’s Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) resources. Participants will explore NGSS-aligned, hands on labs covering measurement and estimation, mechanics, light and optics, magnetism, and eclipses. These activities make complex solar science and heliophysics concepts accessible for middle school learners while providing pathways to scale up for high school and college classrooms. The session highlights how students can build critical STEM skills through data collection, modeling, and problem solving, while connecting heliophysics to real world applications such as space weather, energy, and technology. Educators will leave with classroom ready lessons, instructional strategies, and access to free NASA resources that inspire curiosity, foster sensemaking, and prepare students for future STEM opportunities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use NASA HEAT heliophysics resources and hands on labs on mechanics, light, magnetism, and eclipses that can be scaled from middle school to college, building STEM skills and connecting science to real world applications.

SPEAKERS:
Rodrigo Castillo Vasquez, Linh Ho

The Big Bang Theory of universe expansion and the evidence that supports it are among the most abstract concepts that we ask our students to learn, but actively modelling these ideas can make them accessible. In this workshop, we will take you through a basic learning sequence (focused on HS-ESS 1-2 and SEP 2) that explains universe expansion using modelling. The final model will demonstrate the process of universe expansion as well as show supporting evidence for the Big Bang Theory (redshift, CMBR, and H/He ratio), but it will not look anything like the real universe!. The steps involved in making our model are just as important as the end model itself and anyone can use the ideas presented in this workshop to design uniquely active models of abstract ideas in any subject. This learning sequence is written for a freshman stand-alone Earth & Space Science class, but can also be delivered as written to any class of high school students studying the origins of the physical universe.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to bring abstract ideas (such as the Big Bang Theory) down to Earth through modelling. The act of creating our model mimics the basic steps of the Big Bang Theory and our final product demonstrates the Big Bang evidence written in HS-ESS 1-2.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Libke

Are you ready to take PhET Simulations in your classroom to the next level? In this session, PhET Fellow Vanessa Wentzloff will take you through a workshop to explore how to use PhET as a tool for whole-class inquiry and discussion. PhET is used by many educators in a worksheet format for students to learn or practice a topic. But PhET transforms your inquiry-based classroom by utilizing simulations as phenomena to spark student discussion. This is a powerful way for students to get the most out of the simulations. In this session, participants will immerse themselves as students in an inquiry-based classroom and then jump into creating their own whole-class inquiry for their classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be able to experience and plan a whole-class PhET inquiry activity through guidance and resources.

Bring Jenga, Bounce-off, Ker-Plunk, and other kinetic games into the classroom for use as a phenomena-based assessment of Forces, Energy, or Newton's Laws of Motion (MS-PS2&3). Engaging and rigorous assessment through observing, writing, diagraming, and modeling of moving objects. Lessons and assessment frameworks provide opportunities for student differentiation through the addition of technology to collect data or to demonstrate understanding (video explanations made for class: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc.)

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will receive lesson or assessment frameworks for using a wide-variety of kinetic and dexterity tabletop games to describe relative motion, forces that cause motion, energy transfer, or Newton's Laws. Attendees will also discuss opportunities for differentiation and cross cutting concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Skinner

Re-engagement strategies serve the purpose to support students after a formative progress checkpoint. The goal of these strategies is to answer the questions of "How will we respond when students do not learn?" and "How will we extend learning to those who are already proficient?" In this session I will share the types of re-engagement strategies that I have developed over my time as a Disciplinary Literacy TOSA and piloted in my High School Chemistry and Physics classes. These interactive strategies will be showcased within the context of several lessons where I utilize universal supports, administer 3-Dimensional formative assessments, and then re-engage students to deepen their understanding of both the science content and skills. Participants will walk away with a list of instructional routines to use in their own classrooms and a better understanding of how to use these strategies to re-engage students after completing an assessment.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session attendees will learn about the importance of re-engagement strategies and walk away with specific strategies and lessons to fill in missing conceptual understanding, raise cognitive demands, and improve students' scientific literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Stein Meisner

Sponsoring Company: PEER Physics / CU Boulder

This session will support participants in exploring how student discourse in NGSS-aligned science classrooms can be strengthened by curricular resources, intentional teaching moves, classroom norms, and discourse protocols. Participants will analyze classroom video of small-group interactions to engage with strategies that promote student discourse grounded in the scientific practices of model building and argumentation on the basis of shared evidence. The workshop will focus on how teachers can set up learning environments where students construct and revise claims through discourse, using models and data as tools for sensemaking. Participants will also reflect on the role of class consensus in supporting scientific thinking and inclusive classroom communities. By the end of the session, attendees will leave with tangible discourse and consensus-building protocols that can be immediately implemented to support student-driven conversations and deepen engagement with scientific ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Julian Martins

I will share my experience using the Completely Hackable Amateur Radio Telescope (CHART) in my high school classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
I will explain why and how we should teach radio astronomy in high school.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Palmer

This poster highlights the Physics of Climate lesson set, co-created by scientists, teachers, and professional society staff. The lessons address systems thinking, the distinction between climate and weather through data-driven graphing activities, and the physics of greenhouse gases including their role in trapping heat, the effects of absorption and heat islands, and strategies for carbon removal. Designed collaboratively, the lessons combine scientific rigor with classroom practicality, increasing teacher confidence while engaging students in authentic climate data and physics concepts. The co-creation process builds a professional community that values outreach, public engagement, and shared expertise: teachers gain support and confidence, while scientists and staff connect their work to real-world classrooms. This model demonstrates how collaborative partnerships can deepen understanding of climate physics and strengthen both teaching and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Collaborative partnerships between teachers, professors, and professional societies can create research-based physics of climate lessons that both strengthen teacher confidence and engage students in authentic, data-driven climate science.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Schrode

As teachers, we often wonder what happens in groups when we step away. This poster will take you behind the curtain with 3 different student groups in an undergraduate physics lab as they engage in multiple NGSS SEPs. This research project found that the most important factors for student success in engaging in inquiry-based SEPs are the connections between procedural and conceptual elements through epistemic elements, underpinned by social engagement. Each pairing of a student group with their instructor showed different instructional styles and levels of teacher guidance. This poster will provide specific examples of student groups successfully navigating the lab, less successful groups navigating challenges, and teacher moves that mitigated unproductive struggles. Equitable access to post-secondary physics labs requires that instructors adapt to the needs of their students, which will be shown in this poster.

TAKEAWAYS:
This poster will provide guidance for secondary and post-secondary instructors who want to better support their students during sensemaking. Teachers can adopt an adaptive approach to teaching by evaluating student ideas with the aim of meeting students’ needs throughout the sensemaking process.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Dozier, Brian Wilcox

Discover Rubin Observatory’s free, classroom-ready astronomy investigations, built to support NGSS and spark curiosity with authentic data. Each begins with a phenomenon and guides students through interactive tools, scaffolded questions, and active learning strategies that strengthen sensemaking. Formative and summative assessments with scoring guides support classroom use. Additional resources—such as Rubin Voices Trading Cards that highlight diverse STEM careers, animated videos, interactive tours, and activities ranging from galaxy counting to Rubin Bingo—bring astronomy to life. Teachers can also access free professional development, classroom support, and an education mailing list for ongoing updates.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore Rubin Observatory’s free classroom-ready astronomy investigations and STEM activities, all designed to support the NGSS. Discover how to access professional development, teacher support, and additional resources like videos, games, data-based image tours, and trading cards.

SPEAKERS:
Ardis Herrold

Congratulations, Planet Finder! You’ve just found a new planet in our Solar System! When you have an engaging problem to solve, even Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion can become exciting. This poster will summarize a standards-based unit on Planets and Orbits that will include student work and examples of a final project (HS-ESS 1-4 and HS-ESS 1-6 and SEPs 2, 4, 5, and 6). As a summative task, individual students are given the average radius of their newly discovered planet’s orbit only. Using just this information they describe their planet’s characteristics and produce a NEW and IMPROVED version of the Solar System in small groups. All instructional materials will be available and have been Google translated into Spanish. This unit is designed for a freshmen Earth & Space Systems course but can be used in any Earth-focused physical science course.

TAKEAWAYS:
A creative summative task can help elicit student interest, especially when the topic is not very much fun. Learn how to engage students in using Kepler’s Laws and planet traits to create an “updated” group model of the solar system. (HS-ESS 1-4 and HS-ESS 1-6 and SEPs 2, 4, 5, and 6)

SPEAKERS:
Taylor Salazar, Amanda Libke

We developed an augmented reality (AR) app called Project STEMinAR for teaching physical science content, including Thermodynamics, Rotational Motion, Optics, Force/Motion, Newton’s Laws, Lenses, and Electromagnetics. In these interactive simulations, students manipulate variables and see how different representations of that concept are affected in real time. The free app and a printout cube are needed to use the simulations. Free curricular materials are also available. The simulations are aligned with introductory undergraduate physics courses, high school physics, the Florida Standards for physical science, and NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 1 and 2. We are currently implementing the simulations in undergraduate physics labs to explore the effects on student learning gains, engagement, and interest in physics. We will demonstrate the simulations, share curricula, and discuss findings from implementation. This work is supported by an NSF IUSE grant (Project #2121273).

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use the free Project STEMinAR physics simulations and curricular materials in both lecture and lab settings. Resources will be provided that can be implemented in classrooms immediately.

SPEAKERS:
David Rosengrant, KELLY NAVAS, Rachel Cacace

Wondering where familiar physics topics like Newton’s laws, energy conservation, and kinematics fit into OpenSciEd High School Physics? In this interactive session, we will unpack how, where, and why these “traditional” topics are thoughtfully woven into the six OpenSciEd physics units. Participants will explore examples of how concepts such as forces, momentum, and energy are incorporated into storylines in ways that build coherence and preserve students’ “aha” moments.    For example, students build ideas about unbalanced forces and energy transfer in unit P.2 and apply in P.3 to investigate momentum and Newton's second law. These foundational ideas are then used to figure out gravity and orbits and the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter from a forces perspective in units P.4 and P.5.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will reflect on how these decisions were made, consider application to their own contexts, and will leave confident about blending essential content with phenomenon-driven inquiry.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Novak, Nicole Vick, Dan Voss

Join NSF NOIRLab and explore the universe from radio waves through gamma rays with high-quality, all-sky images and educational activities using NOIRLab’s Multiwavelength Universe project. The workshop will provide data from a variety of sources to encourage student exploration of astronomical objects and the processes that produce radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum. In this interactive workshop, participants will journey through the Universe as we model the nature of light and build an understanding of wave properties. Data from the Multiwavelength Universe project will be used to demonstrate how each part of the spectrum helps astronomers uncover the structure, composition, and hidden phenomena of the cosmos. We will share inclusive strategies, such as multiple modes of data representation (sonification for example), to ensure all learners can access and engage with space science concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to access images of astronomical objects from across the electromagnetic spectrum and explore how astronomers learn about the physical properties of different types of astronomical objects using the various types of electromagnetic radiation they emit.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Sparks

Gravitational forces might be invisible, but the supports in this unit are easy to spot. This session helps you uncover key features in Operation Space Jump that make it easier to plan, teach, and guide students through puzzling ideas like mass, motion, and gravity. We will walk through the built-in teacher tools, prompts, and routines that support deep thinking and epic classroom moments. Whether students are jumping on the moon or just trying to wrap their heads around why heavier things do not always fall faster, you will leave with ready-to-use moves that help the learning stick.

TAKEAWAYS:
Uncover how to use supports in Operation Space Jump to help students explore mass, motion, and gravity—especially why bigger does not always mean faster when jumping from planet to planet.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli, DeAnna Lee Rivers, Spencer Martin

Models are more than pictures, they are powerful tools for making student thinking visible. In the classroom, models can be used as sensemaking tools that evolve as students’ understanding of scientific concepts deepen. Using examples from Earth-science integrated physics and biology curricula, participants step into the role of students to experience creating, revising, and refining models to gain deeper insight into how modeling supports sensemaking, reveals misconceptions, and highlights shifts in students’ understanding. Integration of student discourse and scaffolded writing strategies offer participants additional opportunities to support students in creating more robust models and using those models to communicate their understanding of complex everyday phenomena. Through experiential understanding, participants will leave with a clear vision for designing lessons that empower learners to engage in authentic modeling practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in modeling from a student perspective and reflect as teachers through collaborative discussion—sharing experiences and gaining practical strategies to support authentic modeling that makes student thinking and sensemaking visible in the science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Carpe, Nina Groseclose

Smartphones have revolutionized communication and access to information. With 5 years of experience using them in the classroom, I know the sensors in them can equally revolutionize experimentation. You’ve all probably dropped objects at different heights and timed the fall with timers. How about timing it by analyzing the response of the 3-axis accelerometer in a smartphone to free-fall conditions? With it, each student has the power to collect their own data on free-fall at much higher precision and draw their own conclusions with a lab so easy they can do it at home, allowing class time to be used for data analysis, rather than data collection. Come see how to leverage these powerful tools to facilitate learning for everyone with an investigation that can be as simple as plotting data with step-by-step calculation instructions, or as advanced as asking students to linearize the data themselves, and even bring in discussions of general relativity!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away with ready to apply information, tools, and ideas to use immediately in their classroom whether they teach introductory/conceptual physics or AP. They will participate in an investigation activity themselves and see how easy it is to increase the complexity as needed.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Tobler

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

Too much work to do in preparation for OpenSciEd? We will share some time-saving measures and enhancements to give you back time to enlighten your students' learning of magnetism, electricity, and spectroscopy using Ward’s Science Kits. Get better results with less hassle.

SPEAKERS:
Norman Marshall

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Explore how our Video Analysis app helps students investigate physics concepts with real-world videos! Learn to record and analyze topics from projectile motion to elastic collisions. We’ll cover the latest features, best practices, and 3D learning ideas for engaging student investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Smith

Attendees will engage in a middle school science lesson that connects the engineering design process to potential energy by using rubber bands and popsicle sticks to construct slingshots. Aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) MS-PS3-2: Potential Energy and MS-ETS1-4: Redesigning and Retesting, attendees will design, test, and redesign slingshots while collecting data on launch distance and the effectiveness of their design. Before the lesson, we will complete pre-lab questions to recall prior knowledge of potential energy and engineering design. During the lesson, attendees will apply this understanding to create and test their models. After the lesson, attendees will reflect through post-lab questions, peer review using an NGSS-aligned rubric, and design revisions based on peer feedback. Attendees will receive student worksheets, rubrics, and data collection templates to support their own classroom implementation of hands-on, NGSS aligned practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Engage in a middle school science lesson that explores potential energy through an NGSS aligned engineering design challenge of building slingshots. Gain ready-to-use digital materials that guide hands-on learning in designing, testing, analyzing data, reflecting, and redesigning slingshots.

SPEAKERS:
Margarita Jimenez-Silva, Caitlyn Ishaq

Join us for an interactive session that will empower you to bring the rich, student-centered learning experiences called for by the NGSS into your own classroom. In this workshop, you'll engage in collaborative, small-group activities designed to deepen your understanding of how to use meaningful tasks to spark productive and inclusive student conversations. You'll walk away with practical strategies for designing lessons that foster active sense-making through talk, as well as routines and norms that ensure every student has a voice in the discussion. Here’s what you can expect: • The Power of Talk in Learning (10 min): Why meaningful conversations are essential for student growth. • Hands-On Experience (30 min): Engage in two examples of tasks that encourage inclusive, collaborative student discussions. • Designing for Engagement (10 min): Learn key principles for structuring discussions that increases participation and sensemaking. • Next Steps (5 min): Resources you can use

TAKEAWAYS:
The establishment of routines and norms and the use of meaningful tasks are critical for increasing productive participation in small group and whole class discussions.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Learn how to build circuits with modular components that look identical to schematic drawings. After building the circuit, we'll take current and voltage measurements using sensor data. We'll show you how to skip the tangled wires that confuse students and focus on the physics.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

The physical spaces we use for teaching science play an important role in student learning experiences. While not every teacher has complete control over their physical classroom, it is important to consider possible systems to better address the students' needs. In this session, participants will analyze sample images and videos of classrooms through the lens of creating a welcoming, inclusive and accessible space for all students. Participants will reflect on their own spaces and discuss what they notice about the sample classrooms. After discussing different structures and strategies used for learning science, participants will share possible changes they can make to their own spaces. Teachers of all levels and amounts of experience are encouraged to come to this interactive discussion. The images and videos shared in these sessions are collected from science teachers from various settings (e.g, public, private, urban, rural, etc) across the nation.

TAKEAWAYS:
By considering student needs and inclusive practice, teachers can arrange their science classrooms to promote student independence and strengthen class community. Building students’ science confidence and motivation can have a positive impact on their later education and futures.

SPEAKERS:
Bree Barnett Dreyfuss

Phenomena—ranging from wireless charging and melting ice to earthquakes and plant growth—occur whenever energy is transferred. Yet many students view energy as discipline-specific, assuming that “energy in physics” is different from “energy in biology.” This makes it difficult for them to recognize energy as a crosscutting concept when exploring systems. Our research shows that students explain phenomena more effectively and better understand energy conservation when they track energy transfers within and between systems. In this workshop, you will learn how the energy transfer approach (ETA) and energy transfer diagrams (ETDs) can support students’ understanding of NGSS-aligned learning goals. You will construct ETDs and explore how they help learners visualize the energy flows driving phenomena. Although the workshop activities align with physical science NGSS Performance Expectations, the ETD approach can be readily adapted for biology, and Earth and space science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers learn the energy transfer approach (ETA) and how to construct energy transfer diagrams (ETDs) to help students track energy flow within and between systems. ETDs offer a clear, consistent method for representing the energy flows that drive real-world phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Weiwei He, Erin Lewis

This workshop will incorporate the phenomena of underwater sound into physical and biological science activities and investigations. Online resources such as an audio gallery of underwater sounds produced by animals, people, and the natural world and activities challenging students to produce spectrograms and explore the science of sound.

TAKEAWAYS:
Using the topic of underwater sound can be an engaging vehicle for students to explore physical science concepts and connect these fundamental principles with the undersea environment and science of sound.

SPEAKERS:
Liesl Hotaling

Mobile technologies, including smartphones and smartwatches, are creating new opportunities to connect classroom learning with real-world biomedical applications. In this hands-on workshop, participants will transform their own smartphones into portable laboratories by using built-in sensors—accelerometers, gyroscopes, and cameras—to make biomedical-related measurements. Activities will include analyzing the cardiac cycle with photoplethysmography and seismocardiography, measuring physiological tremors, and investigating gait dynamics. Along the way, participants will see how foundational concepts in mechanics and electromagnetic waves can be directly linked to human health and biology.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with ready-to-use, low-cost labs that connect physics principles to biomedical applications such as heart rate, tremor, and gait. They will experience these activities as students, gaining strategies to engage learners through interdisciplinary, real-world investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Helene McLaughlin, David Rakestraw

Sponsoring Company: Positive Physics, Chemistry, Biology+

Positive Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Env Science is award-winning lesson and question bank built by teachers for student success. Key features include: + Immediate feedback / automatic grading + Randomized values to prevent copying + Google Classroom, Canvas & Schoology Integration + Built-in AI Tutor + Super Responsive Customer Service Attendees will receive a free school-wide subscription for the rest of the school year.

SPEAKERS:
Jack Replinger

Modeling Instruction has been demonstrated to produce superior learning outcomes for English Learners due to the structure of the pedagogy itself. (Malone, 2017) Instead of starting new conceptual units with a demonstration or a lecture, Modeling Instruction begins with a hands on laboratory activity. Students construct their own understanding of major scientific learning through project based learning. After these introductory labs, students construct multimodal representations (Models) to represent their thinking: graphs, equations, diagrams, and written descriptions. By exploring concepts in non-linguistic ways before introducing the language of a concept, E.L.s are given an opportunity to have a basis on which the language of science and scientific reasoning is constructed. In this talk, I will briefly cover the structure of Modeling Instruction, the history of Modeling Instruction, the research that suggests that it produces superior outcomes for E.L.s, and resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Modeling Instruction works well for all audiences in teaching introductory scientific concepts; this effect is even more pronounced for English learning populations who are often underserved in the science classroom. This should be a top concern for educators with significant E.L. populations.

SPEAKERS:
Caden Biggs, Cynthia Chan, Eric Robinson

Sponsoring Company: Comak

Teachers still think with pencils, markers, and quick sketches. The challenge comes when those ideas need to become clean, reusable teaching materials. Join this session to see how you can preserve the human side of teaching while creating clearer, easier-to-update lesson visuals without losing momentum.

A Physics Modeling Instruction workshop introduces participants to a structured inquiry approach to high school physics teaching that incorporates technology, Socratic questioning, and insights from physics education research. Throughout the duration of the modeling workshop, participants are involved in designing and conducting investigations, collecting, analyzing, and graphing results, and discussing these results with the other groups. These discussions are an important part of the “group sense-making” of the phenomena being investigated. Attendees of this NSTA session will be introduced to modeling with a brief description/discussion and then will engage in a hands-on physics activity that allows them to experience all of the aspects of a modeling paradigm lab and related components.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees at this session will be introduced to the modeling approach via a hands-on physics activity that is engaging and is representative of a typical modeling paradigm lab.

SPEAKERS:
Chance Hoellwarth, Jon Anderson

The shift in evaluating a students understanding of key concepts in physics and physical science has lead to the need for more performance based evaluation. Lab practicums allow students to perform an unique lab experience, demonstrating an understanding and application of a physics concept. Using toys and easily obtained materials, students experience less stress compared to summative exams. Multiple examples with an opportunity to experience a lab practicum will be given to attendees.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will receive multiple examples of performance assessments, for formative assessment of physics and physical science concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck, Jan Mader

Join for an interactive session, where we will explore how the Flipped Classroom model and the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) framework can transform student learning and engagement. This session will highlight practical strategies for shifting direct instruction outside the classroom, freeing up valuable in-class time for collaborative, inquiry-based learning in chemistry classroom. Participants will discover how integrating CER into flipped lessons empowers students to think critically, construct scientific explanations, and support their claims with evidence and logical reasoning. Through real-world examples, hands-on activities, and discussion, educators will leave with actionable tools to foster deeper understanding, promote student voice, and enhance formative assessment practices. Whether you're new to flipped learning or looking to refine your use of CER, this session offers insights and inspiration to elevate your teaching practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session equips educators with practical strategies for designing flipped lessons that incorporate CER seamlessly. Participants will explore real classroom examples, tackle common challenges, and engage in hands-on activities that model the CER process.

SPEAKERS:
Bhagyashree Kulkarni

Writing laboratory reports is a powerful way to assess student understanding and scientific communication skills. However, grading these reports is often time-consuming for both students and teachers, which limits the amount and quality of feedback that can be provided. Even with rubrics, the many required elements of a lab report can make consistent evaluation a challenge.  While AI (artificial intelligence) platforms offer new ways to support assessment, most fall short when analyzing graphical data. In this workshop, I will share how I have integrated AI to provide efficient, standards-based grading and actionable feedback in my honors physics and AP chemistry classes to evaluate lab reports against state standards and custom rubric criteria. Participants will see how an open inquiry lab using a graphical analysis application can be used to teach key concepts, measure student learning, and be used with certain AI programs to streamline grading—all while enhancing the feedback students receive.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn how to use an AI-powered learning management system to efficiently grade lab reports against state standards and custom rubric items. This includes saving time, improving consistency, and delivering more meaningful feedback to students.

SPEAKERS:
Randy Booth

We will share our experience in a Research Experience for Teachers program, where we were funded to work in university research labs and create a engineering design curriculum piece. We will also share the lesson we created, in which students experience how simple pendulum motion is used by scientists to model brain waves. Students build paint pendulums to create pendulum art connected to science! They learn about simple harmonic motion and how complicated real life pendulums can become when a simple pendulum could oscillate in multiple directions simultaneously. They leave class with a piece of art they created and a deeper understanding of harmonic motion.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about Research Experience for Teachers opportunities and walk away with a ready-to-go STEAM lesson plan, combining artwork and STEM in a play-based experience on the phenomena of harmonic motion.

SPEAKERS:
Tanima Mukherjee, Faith Palombi

Large Language Models (LLMs) hold promise for supporting physics learning, but their tendency to hallucinate and the cost of open-ended queries limit scalability. We present an approach that scaffolds student input into structured formats that both constrain the AI and deepen engagement. Our approach combines a semantic diagram editor, where students build vector-based representations of forces, motion, and fields with required tagging, with an equation editor that outputs structured math aligned with the diagram. Unlike image uploads, these diagrams are converted directly into a text-based, machine-readable format, eliminating the need for costly image processing. The paired inputs create a precise description of student reasoning that can be processed reliably by the AI, reducing hallucinations and lowering cost. For students, tagging and structuring diagrams makes thinking explicit and reinforces representational fluency.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will see how guiding students to create tagged diagrams and structured equations leads to clearer thinking, more accurate AI support, lower costs, and better feedback for teaching and learning in physics.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore

Sponsoring Company: Comak

Teachers’ most valuable asset is time. A large part of that time is spent redrawing content to keep lessons fresh and engaging. See how Comak turns classroom sketches into editable visuals you can update, reuse, and drop into teaching materials fast.

With the adaptation of the NGSS by many state or states using the NGSS for their own standards, elementary teachers are now expected to teach physics and physical science concepts. For many elementary teachers this is a concern as their undergraduate training may have had little to no formal preparation with basic physics concepts. This workshop will allow attendees the opportunity to increase their content understanding through conceptually sound highly engaging learning cycles requiring minimal equipment and preparation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will receive multiple 5 elearning cycles that are easily adapted to an elementary science class addressing physical science topics.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck, Jan Mader

The Heliophysics Education Ambassador Team (HEAT) through NASA and AAPT have created classroom resources. These research-based instructional materials for astrophysics taught in the context of introductory and upper division physics and astronomy courses help make real world connections for your students. Come and try out a few lessons to infuse some real life space data from NASA into your physics lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to access HEAT's research-based materials and use them in their physics classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Bontempo

Participants will take part in a simple beam lab using weights to determine the deflection of the beam material. Groups will have different beams and varying results will help support understanding of the graphs created. The results will then be graphed as a load-deflection curve and shared. Stress is the amount loaded onto the beam (analogous to load). Strain (similar to deflection) is the amount of deformation that occurs. The resulting curve and slope (Young’s Modulus) give information about the stiffness and elasticity of the material. Different beam results will clearly demonstrate the meaning of Young’s Modulus and interpretation of stress-strain curves. Challenges of stress-strain curve understanding (both variables are dependent, for instance) will be discussed and clarified. How to use stress-strain curves with a bridge project extension will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
A hands-on beam lab produces graphs critical to understanding properties for engineering. With focus on making, interpreting, & teaching the graphs. Real-world uses & applications of stress-strain curves in engineering will be shared and help to illustrate the importance of this type of graph.

SPEAKERS:
Briana Richardson, Scott Spohler

This presentation shows how teachers at Laguna Beach High School have been using a professional video game development engine (Unity) to create differentiated learning activities that engage students in fun, rewarding explorations of complex concepts. The presentation will focus on Chemistry games designed by teacher Steve Sogo and Biology games designed by teacher Alonda Hartford. Teachers of other subjects are welcome to attend, as the Unity templates provided will enable teachers to make games for any subject. The games shown in this presentation are freely available at the website InteractiveChemistry.org, and Unity itself can be used free of charge by teachers. Participants will leave with a number of innovative teaching tools to add to their classrooms, and motivated teachers can learn how to begin creating their own games with Unity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be introduced to teacher-designed video games that engage students in fun, powerful learning activities. The presentation will provide teachers with free web-based games as well as customizable templates that enable teachers to create their own games.

SPEAKERS:
Steven Sogo

Arguing from Evidence and Constructing Explanations are essential tasks in the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. My experience in a rural school district, where about 80% of students are ELL and socioeconomically disadvantaged, has led to the development of templates that support equitable teaching. These templates guide student sensemaking and evidence-based explanations. In this session, participants will explore how Claim-Evidence-Reasoning templates can enhance learning in science. Examples that illustrate how students use these templates to build evidence-based arguments for scientific phenomena and laboratory data will be shared. Participants will engage hands-on with sample data from a physics investigation to collaboratively construct evidence-based explanations using a sample template. They will learn to adapt templates for various tasks and develop a scoring rubric for these activities. This workshop aims to empower educators to enhance student sensemaking effectively.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience how Claim-Evidence-Reasoning templates can enhance student sensemaking in science. Gain hands-on experience using data to construct evidence-based explanations from several lab examples. Learn how to adapt CER templates for a variety of assessment tasks that can be used in your next unit.

SPEAKERS:
Aldo Chavira, Loretta Anders

Many science learners experience persistent conceptual and problem solving disposition roadblocks that hinder their ability to engage in science problem solving. This session introduces a research based framework for identifying and addressing these stuck points through diagnostic assessment, targeted scaffolding, and metacognitive strategies. Participants will explore classroom-tested tools such as the foundational knowledge and skills inventories on Physics problem solving that help students recognize and overcome foundational gaps. Drawing from ADDIE instructional design, the session emphasizes effective teaching strategies for multilingual and under-resourced learners. Attendees will leave sample work, and a logic model for integrating STUCK STUDES into their own curriculum. This session aligns with NSTA’s strands on teaching strategies and classroom practices, offering practical strategies to transform stuck moment into springboards to heighten problem solving flexibility.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with a practical framework for transforming student “stuck” moments into diagnostic opportunities that build foundational science understanding, foster problem-solving disposition, and cultivate resilient, metacognitive learners.

SPEAKERS:
Crisostomo Canencia

Have you ever been to an escape room? Want to turn your classroom into the same experience and not just have kids open envelopes? This session will show you an escape room designed for the Physics classroom and tools to help build your own on a concept of your choosing in any Science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will help you see the actual thought behind the puzzle-making for a meaningful escape room and how it transforms the learning and engagement of students when you bring the room to life. This style of assessment has proved to have the best engagement of any strategy we have used.

SPEAKERS:
Gregory Brown

Long trails terminated by heavy rocks called “sailing stones" were discovered along smooth valley floors in Nevada, California, and the surface of Mars. How are these heavy rocks moving across what seems to be desert? In this workshop, you'll learn what productive representations your students can use to assist them in bridging phenomena, words, pictures, and mathematics in kinematics. Can your students solve complex kinematics problems using pictures, graphs, and deep understanding? They will. Can they use real data from recently published journal articles to answer authentic questions in kinematics? They will. Can you assess them based on their performance with real data, instead of rote algebra? You will. Based on research on expert-like problem-solving, the framework attendees will work through takes a three-dimensional approach, requiring science practices and crosscutting concepts that go deeper than the rote algebraic manipulation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use real data, pictures, and graphs to help students solve kinematics problems, deepen problem-solving skills beyond algebra, and design assessments that support inclusion and align with NGSS and Common Core.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore

Often teachers of physics and physical science are broad field science instructors with minimal physics preparation. This workshop will allow seasoned and new instructors an opportunity to perform learning cycles linked to common core math and NGSS standards to augment their current physics and or physical science curricula.

TAKEAWAYS:
The workshop is a hands-on workshop in which attendees will conduct 5 elearning cycles in physics and physical science content.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck, Jan Mader

An emphasis on cross-curricular education is often necessary in many elementary classes. With the introduction of new science standards, elementary teachers are now tasked with teaching physics and physical science concepts that they may have had little to no exposure to during their undergraduate studies. Coupling underpreparedness with the increased emphasis on reading often limits the time allocated for science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Come and discover a method of balancing both instructional issues. Attendees will receive literature pieces and corresponding science lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Jan Mader, Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck

This session unfolds in two parts. The first part will share how concepts of measurement, graphing, extrapolation, speed, acceleration, forces, and engineering design can be used to understand how social justice-centered issues have unfolded historically. These concepts provide a new lens for students to assess and understand historical events, and the unfolding of those historical events provide an opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of the science concepts by applying them to unfamiliar scenarios. This session will explore the framework of asking students to consider the manifestations of scientific concepts and terminology in current and historical events. The second part of this session will invite participants to share their own ideas about how to incorporate social justice in science classes and to use social justice topics as a way to reinforce the understanding of science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn different strategies for reinforcing science understanding by applying scientific content, thinking and vocabulary to the analysis of social justice-focused historical content. Attendees will also learn practical strategies for incorporating social justice in science classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Maurice Telesford

This session highlights how physics educators can lead and advocate for equitable access to rigorous science learning by using recycled household materials and free software in their labs and projects. In the workshop, participants will first experience one example of a summative assessment to build an “Egg Crash Cart” to protect an egg during a collision, modeling real-world safety systems such as crumple zones, airbags, and seatbelts. Student work samples will be shown that highlight how using everyday objects and freely available measuring instruments get kids closer to the physics of the project. Participants will then engage in discussion about how this style of project might address barriers in equity and sensemaking in their own physics instruction, and get time to collaborate on how to transform some of their own engaging labs into trash physics. Participants will leave with a digital folder of other lab and project examples, along with scoring rubrics and materials lists.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use low-cost, household-material design projects to provide equitable and engaging STEM assessments for all students without compromising high-quality three-dimensional NGSS Physics instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Scholz, Pooja Gupta